Digital computers are in widespread use not only among post-secondary educational institutions, such as universities, colleges, and trade schools, but also among secondary educational institutions, such as elementary and high schools. One major use for computers by educators is to assist students in conducting experiments, especially in the sciences such as biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics. For example, digital computers can be used to collect physical measurements for later analysis by the student.
Existing digital computer systems generally involve a personal computer interfaced with one or more sensors to collect the physical measurements. Using the digital computer, the student can later analyze the collected physical measurements as a function of a desired variable, such as time.
Existing digital computer-based systems for collection of physical measurements are poorly suited for use by students. Students frequently have limited access to such data collection systems. The significant cost of digital computers often limits the number of computers that an educational institution can purchase for student use. This is especially true for secondary educational institutions which are experiencing increasing budgetary constraints. Consequently, students are frequently limited in the number and length of experiments that they may conduct using the system.
Existing digital computer-based systems are not portable, forcing the student to conduct the desired experiment in the immediate vicinity of the computer. As used herein, the term "portable" shall refer to a device that is hand held and has an internal power source. The spacial limitation on the experiment location limits the variety of experiments that the student may conduct using the computer. For many types of chemical experiments, the spacial limitation increases the risk that during the experiments the computer may be damaged by the chemical compounds used in the experiment, such as acids. The significant cost to repair or replace personal computers magnifies the consequences of this risk.
The software and hardware of existing digital computer-based systems are generally complex to set up and operate, requiring teachers to continuously supervise students during operation of the system. Confusion may arise when the students operate the complex disk operating system and the software interfacing the computer with the sensors. Complex command sequences are often required not only to set up the system but also to operate the system during experimentation. Additionally, in some systems the user must inform the computer of the type of sensor located at a designated port before measurements can be taken. In other systems, a specific type of sensor must be connected to a specific input port. If the sensor is connected to an improper input port, inaccurate measurements may result.